Experiment
by Meana
Summary: Rommie and Dylan are kidnapped. The others worry.


Experiment

By Meana 

EMAIL: meana_fic@yahoo.ca  
DISCLAIMER: They don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them and I promise to return them relatively unscathed.  
SUMMARY: Rommie and Dylan are kidnapped. The others worry. Dylan/Rommie, with a little Beka/Tyr, and Trance/Harper  
RATING: **PG**, I guess.  
SPOILERS: None, really.  
DISTRIBUTION: My site: http://www.angelfire.com/tv/fanfiction/index.html, otherwise ask.  
NOTES: This is my first Andromeda fic. It is set several years in the future. It's pretty much a PWP, but there is no graphic smut (I just couldn't work it in *g*). I plan to write a sequel and/or a prequel. 

* * *

"Damn! Damn! And double damn!" Beka Valentine growled as she stalked around the command deck of the Andromeda Ascendant. "They should have been back hours ago." She looked at the only other person in the room with her and was worried by the concern she saw on his face. "Something has happened to them, hasn't it?" she asked softly, waiting for confirmation of her own knowledge. 

"I suspect so," was Tyr's equally soft reply as he moved closer to her. "Dylan Hunt would never just leave this ship, not willingly at least. And Rommie is quite literally a part of this ship." 

"Are you still unable to contact them, Andromeda?" Beka asked the ship. 

Andromeda's face appeared on the forward screen as she answered. "I have still been unable to re-establish contact with either Captain Hunt or my avatar. Their last communication indicated they were having problems striking a deal for the supplies. That was nearly three hours ago. They were scheduled to return an hour and a half ago. Not only am I unable to establish contact with them, I'm also unable to verify that my avatar even still exists, there isn't even a trickle of her presence detectable since they both just disappeared." Andromeda gazed down at them, obviously troubled over her Captain's and her avatar's vanishing act. 

"Damn!" 

* * *

The room was bright, filled with light, yet cold, not only temperature wise, but emotionally as well. On the floor two forms lay, still as death, obviously unconscious. All was silent until, finally, one form groaned-the sound was hoarse and filled with pain. 

Dylan Hunt slowly sat up, allowing the pounding in his head time to ease. Carefully he glanced around the room, hoping to see something familiar. He gasped in shock when he did spot something. 

"Rommie," he called softly as he carefully moved towards her slight form. He reached his ship's human form and gently turned her over. Tenderly he stroked her head as he called her name again. He nearly crowed with joy when she began to respond. "You okay?" he asked softly when her eyes finally opened. 

"I think so," she answered hesitantly. From her position on the floor Rommie took stock of their surroundings then looked back at Dylan. The question she then asked surprised Dylan, for he hadn't noticed anything wrong beyond them being imprisoned-he'd been too worried about her. "Captain? Where is our clothing?" 

Dylan gazed at her wide-eyed for a moment before allowing his eyes to trail down her body. He then looked down upon himself and realized she was correct; their clothes were missing. The two were left wearing only their underclothes, which barely covered anything at all. 

"I'm not sure," he answered. "I hadn't even realized we were almost naked." 

"You didn't notice!" Rommie said incredulously, sitting up and gazing at her captain. "How could you not have noticed?" 

"Well, I saw you lying unconscious and I was worried and so my attention was focused elsewhere." 

"You were worried about me?" Andromeda looked at him shyly. 

"Of course I was worried, Rommie. You're my friend as well as my ship." Dylan smiled at her and couldn't stop the shiver of attraction her answering grin caused. 

Misinterpreting his shiver, Rommie immediately assumed he was cold and finally noticed the temperature herself. She stood up. "We have to find a way out of here before we freeze." 

Dylan followed her lead and soon the two were busy examining their prison. It didn't take the two very long before they realized that the room was seamless. There was no sign that the walls were anything but one endless piece of metal. 

"That's impossible!" Dylan exclaimed, pounding on the wall. "There has to be a door somewhere. 

"Rommie moved forward and pulled Dylan away from the wall, trying to keep him from hurting himself in his frustration. She carefully examined his hand for injury, secretly enjoying the opportunity to touch him. 

"It's okay, Rommie," Dylan said softly. "I didn't hurt myself." He moved his hand to give hers a reassuring squeeze. Then he turned to face one of the walls again. "There has to be a way out." 

"There isn't," a disembodied voice stated. Soon a shape took form, seeming to flow through the wall. Humanoid, yet the lack of visible eyes clearly showed that it was not human. Its sex was indeterminable. "You will not leave here until we decide," it said. 

"We? Who's we?" Dylan questioned, placing himself protectively between Rommie and the alien. The alien seemed to smile at his unconscious action. 

"Who we are is irrelevant. What matters is your reason for being here." 

"Huh? We were looking for supplies," Dylan said, believing that the creature was talking about their reason for being on the planet. 

"That is not what I am referring to. I am speaking of our reason for bringing you and your companion here." 

"What do you mean?" Dylan asked, even though he knew he wasn't going to like the answer. 

"We observed the two of you for a while and noticed your interaction with one another. Based on what we have observed, of both you and your species in general, we deemed the two of you to be our best choice for one of our studies of your species." 

"What kind of study?" Rommie asked suspiciously. 

"The study in which the two of you will participate is on the sexual habits and practices of your species. Specifically the idea of temptation and desire-the act of resisting and eventually succumbing to it." 

There was silence for a long moment as they gaped at the stranger, and then Dylan snapped. 

"What?" he roared as he glowered at the alien. Slowly he started to advance on their 'host'. "We will not be a part of this 'study'." Each word was bitten out. 

"Dylan," Rommie said calmly, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Let me try." Reluctantly Dylan nodded his agreement. "I'm afraid you have made a number of miscalculations in your choice of study subjects," she said, moving to stand alongside her Captain. "One-we are High Guard officers and as such, a relationship like the one you wish us to engage in, is out of bounds. Two-Captain Hunt is in love with somebody else, and while he may never see her again, he is a man of honour and as long as he loves her he will not betray her merely for sex. Three-while Captain Hunt is human, I am not. I am a machine, a physical manifestation of a sentient AI computer, of my programming." Rommie crossed her arms in front of her and gazed at the alien expectantly. 

"Those may be valid points," replied the alien. "But they are negated by two simple facts. One-the two of you share a mutual attraction and desire for one another. Both of you find no one to be as attractive or as desirable as the other. Secondly, and most importantly, you are in love with one another. You both try to hide it, try to deny it, but it is there. And if you'll excuse the human statement, it is as much a part of you as breathing. Thus, as we've observed of the human species, a sexual relationship is inevitable. We merely wish to expedite that event. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to attend to. Food will be provided momentarily." With those words the alien melted into the floor leaving two stupefied High Guard officers behind. 

* * *

"Still no sign, huh?" Harper asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer but needing to ask anyway. Quietly he moved to stand beside Trance. He reached over and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He still found it strange that he and the purple skinned alien were involved. Glancing towards the weapon's station he couldn't help but smile. His relationship with Trance might have been strange, but it was nothing compared to that of the two people standing and talking at the weapon's station. 

With a sigh, Harper thought about the changes the rescue of Dylan Hunt and the Andromeda Ascendant nearly five years before had wrought in the lives of her rescuers. In particular the changes in the lives of those who now manned the High Guard ship. Staring at his former captain, Harper couldn't help but marvel at the change, which resulted in Beka Valentine getting married. Married to, of all people, Tyr Anasazi. 

Almost exactly one year after they met, the two acted on their mutual attraction and found it was more than physical. One year later--to everybody's amazement--they got married, and for the last three years they'd had one hell of a marriage. They fought, argued, and disagreed, then compromised and made up. In other words, despite all appearances to the contrary, they were perfect for one another, and quite happy. 

Trance's tugging on his ear pulled him from his musings. 

"What were you thinking about so hard?" she asked curiously, when he turned to face her. 

"Nothing in particular. Just thinking about the past, relationships, and change." 

"Ah," she murmured, giving him a quick kiss of understanding. Suddenly, out of the blue, in the endearing way she had, Trance asked, "Do you think they'll ever admit it?" 

"Huh?" came Harper's brilliant reply. Despite spending the last year getting to know Trance better, there were still some things she did which would completely throw him for a loop. 

Trance grinned at him mischievously. "The Captain and Rommie--do you think they'll ever admit their feelings for one another?" 

"Not a chance," was his immediate response as his mind caught up to hers. "When those two are finally, permanently separated they'll still pretend as though they're just friends." He nodded, emphatically emphasizing his point. 

"Hmm." Trance smiled mysteriously. 

* * *

"Rommie?" Dylan questioned softly. With no way to tell time, he had no idea how long it had been since their captor had left. All he was sure of was that it had been long enough for the food provided to have turned cold and congeal. In all that time not one word had been spoken. The silence was getting to him. 

Andromeda turned her head and looked at him. Her embarrassment and discomfort were plain in her expression. 

"It's okay, Rommie," he said quietly, moving to sit on the floor near her. "It's not like he knew what he was talking about. I mean, we're friends, nothing more." To his own ears his words sounded forced, sounded false. He glanced at his still silent companion, and as was the case every time he was near her, he felt his body react to her presence. 

With a strong surge of will, Dylan ignored the feeling in favour of imagining many varied forms of torture for one Seamus Zelazny Harper. For years, Dylan had ignored his growing attraction, attachment, and affection for Rommie. It was, after all, an attraction based upon insubstantiality--holograms and video screens. Then Mr. Harper went and shook the foundation of his denial by creating a body for Rommie--a touchable, desirable, human body. Dylan now found he was fighting himself and temptation on a daily basis, and after nearly five years of doing so he was beginning to tire. His heart's desire was within touch. Even when he had been involved with Sara, there had always been 'something' about Rommie, which had captured his attention, and he'd been powerless to stop it. Now, without Sara's presence to distract him, he was finding Andromeda nearly impossible to resist. 

Again he softly called her name. This time he hesitantly reached out and touched her arm. "Are you all right?" Concern overrode his own feelings of self-consciousness. 

"No, I'm not," she answered, glancing at him. "I am running out of power." 

"Oh, God, Rommie!" he exclaimed. "I actually forgot. How much power do you have left?" 

"A few hours at most," was her soft reply. 

"Damn!" Dylan roared as he surged to his feet. The last few hours finally getting to him, he felt his control snap. He then began to shout and curse and gesticulate wildly. He pounded on the walls uncontrollably. 

Rommie looked on wide-eyed in astonishment. She had never seen her captain lose control like this in all the years they'd been teamed together. It was a somewhat frightening sight, yet in its own way, it was also exciting. Knowing that his anger was for her welfare made her happy. 

Suddenly a pair of the aliens emerged from the walls. Trembling Rommie pushed herself to a standing position. 

"You will cease this cacophony immediately!" one said, staring at Dylan. 

"No," Dylan replied. "I will not stop until you release us." He crossed his arms and glared belligerently at the aliens. 

From her position Rommie observed one of the aliens removing a device from its robes. 

"Then you leave us no choice," its companion stated. "You must be punished." 

Rommie's eyes widened at those words, but it was the alien's lifting arm, which spurred her into action. Desperate to protect her captain, Rommie drew upon her reserves of energy and, with a cry of rage, leapt forward. She pushed Dylan out of the way in time, but was unable to evade the discharge of energy from the alien's weapon herself. 

"No!" Dylan cried, staring at Rommie's now twitching figure. Quickly he moved towards her prone form. From the way she was convulsing, he knew that the blast of energy would have been severely painful, possibly life threatening, if he had been the one hit. Carefully he rolled Rommie over and looked down at her face. 

"Rommie," he called softly. "Rommie, can you hear me?" Tenderly he stroked her cheek. 

She blinked and looked up at him. "Are you all right?" she asked. 

Dylan smiled, happy to hear her voice. "I'm fine. Wasn't even touched. What about you? You took the full force of that blast." 

She hesitated a moment before answering. "I seem to be fine," she said. "In fact, that blast appears to have recharged me. My energy reserves are maxed. I have enough power to last several day if need be." 

"Hopefully it won't come to that." Dylan lifted his head prepared to yell at the aliens. He was thwarted by their absence. Without him noticing, they had left, and another tray of food had appeared. He shook his head in frustration before he helped his friend to a more comfortable position. When he had Rommie settled he left her side long enough to grab the tray of food then sat down beside her and started to eat. They sat in silence while he ate and then made use of the facilities in one corner. They then sat together for a while taking comfort from one another's presence and time passed. 

* * *

"Do you think they're okay?" Beka said quietly into the silence of the room. 

"I'm sure they're fine. They both have very strong survival instincts, as the last five years have proven time and time again." Tyr hugged his wife close, attempting to comfort her. He knew it would be a futile effort, but he had to try. 

She hugged him back, murmuring, "I know. Dylan's got the most amazing luck for getting out of tough situations. And with Rommie there, he'll work even harder to keep her safe." 

"Indeed he will," Tyr said, smiling slightly. 

"Oh hush," Beka said with a small laugh. 

Silence fell as they held each other close, both unable to sleep, thinking about their missing crewmates. Both smiled fondly at the familiar dance of love and attraction that Dylan and Rommie had been playing for as long as they'd known them. It was becoming a fervent wish of all the crew to see that dance again. 

* * *

Dylan lay down on the floor with a slight groan, ignoring Rommie's questions of concern. Ever since he'd finished the meal provided he'd been feeling a little strange. Now he was trying to figure out what was wrong and then it hit him. 

"Oh hell!" he cried sitting up suddenly and startling Andromeda. 

"Captain?" she asked. "What's wrong?" 

He stared at her wide-eyed, momentarily unable to answer. Andromeda stared back at him in confusion. 

"I… I think they drugged the food," he said hesitantly. 

"What makes you say that?" 

"Because at this moment I have the overwhelming urge to kiss you and I don't think I can fight it this time." 

Rommie barely registered the words 'this time' before Dylan moved towards her and kissed her. The kiss was fierce and passionate and Rommie was too stunned at first to resist and soon she didn't want to. Rommie responded to the kiss with all the passion, love, and longing she'd been hiding since she'd met her captain. Hands soon joined the fray-caressing, stroking, and touching. What little clothing they had seemed to vanish and soon two bodies joined together with a fierce abandon, which obliterated thought and consciousness. 

* * *

"Hmm. Interesting." The one word moved through the aliens, echoing through their collective minds. "They have proven the hypothesis that one cannot resist the truth of one's desires." 

"They were the perfect subjects," another voice said. 

"Yes," said a third. "What of the drug?" 

"It shall remain in his system for one of their weeks. It is designed to lower the barrier between the truth and the lies told to one's self. He shall act on his own desire and feelings for his female companion for the next week, but the drug will not endanger his command capabilities. When the week is up, hopefully he will realize that love is more important then regulations. It is one of our more interesting creations." 

"Good. Return them to their ship. His quarters. They have served their purpose." 

The beings melded together, sharing thoughts and feelings, performing their specific tasks. 

* * *

"They're back!" Andromeda cried appearing on the command deck in a sparkle of light. Her eyes widened. "Oh my," she breathed. 

"Andromeda? What is it? Are they all right? Where are they?" Beka stood in front of the hologram demanding answers. 

"They're fine," Andromeda answered staring, with wonder, at a point in the distance that only she could see. "They just need a little time to get themselves together." She disappeared as suddenly as she'd appeared. 

"What the…?" Beka gaped in disbelief. 

"Andromeda?" Harper asked, turning to one of the monitors. "What is going on?" 

Andromeda's face flickered to life on the screen. "Captain Hunt and my human avatar are currently occupied and should not be disturbed. I shall inform you when you may go see them." The screen abruptly turned dark. 

"Rommie," Harper called, but received no answer. "What the hell could they be doing that would distract the entire ship?" he asked his friends. 

"I don't know," Beka answered. "I guess we'll just have to wait and ask." She folded her arms, leaned against her husband, and impatiently began to wait. 

Unseen by them all, Trance smiled knowingly. 

* * *

"Captain," the holographic representation of Andromeda said and looked at her captain's sleeping form. 

"Dylan," Rommie echoed, lightly caressing his chest. He stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He smiled when he caught sight of her and pulled her tighter to his body. He hummed softly to indicate he was awake. "We should get up," Rommie said snuggling close. 

"Yes, you should." The screen on the other side of the room brightened as Andromeda's face appeared on its surface. "The crew is worried about you. You disappeared for over 48 hours and when you return you spend 12 hours locked behind these doors engaging in a frenzy of activity. Activity of which the crew is unaware, although, I suspect that Trance somehow knows." She stopped speaking and waited for a response. 

"All right, we'll get up," Dylan said, pushing off the covers and standing. He reached out his hand and pulled Rommie up beside him. His arms went around her waist and he nuzzled her hair. "So," he said. "What do you want to tell them?" Rommie remained silent, nervously caressing his chest. "Rommie?" 

"I don't know," she whispered softly. Rommie wasn't used to feeling unsure of herself, and at the moment it was all she could fee. "I mean, I don't even know why you decided to start something with me. Is it just the drugs they gave you making you do this? What'll happen when they wear off? How do you feel about me? I have so many questions and so few answers." She gazed at him imploringly, silently asking for answers and re-assurance. She received both. 

"I admit," he said quietly, speaking to all three representations of Rommie, "I probably would not have started a physical relationship like this with you if it hadn't been for those aliens and their drug. But all the drug seems to have done is remove some of my inhibitions, making me less concerned with the rules and more concerned with my feelings." He took her face in his hands and gazed into her eyes, willing her to believe the truth. "The only thing which has ever stopped me from becoming involved with you was the fact that we are High Guard officers and it's against regulations." As she started to say something, he stopped her with a kiss. "Yes, I loved Sara," he said answering one of her unspoken questions. "But the way I felt about her always paled in comparison to what you make me feel. I tried not to do it intentionally, but sometimes I used Sara as a way of shielding myself from you. As for you being a machine…" he trailed off to look at her three faces. "I admit, that caused me some confusion, but then I realized that I'd fallen in love with you, not just with how you looked." 

All three pairs of eyes widened. "Love?" they chorused, hope warring against fear inside of them. 

He smiled. "Yes, love. I've loved you almost from the day I met you. We just seemed to click from the start, and then I got to know you and I liked you and that very quickly grew to love. It scared me. That's part of the reason I stayed involved with Sara. She was almost your complete opposite and I did love her but it never matched my feelings for you." He held her face, dropping a light kiss on her lips. "I love you." 

Rommie smiled back at him, a smile of pure happiness. "I love you too," she choked out. Systems all over the ship began to go haywire. 

"You'd better calm down before we end up with an audience." His warning came too late. Tyr came crashing through the door, ready for an attack, followed closely by his wife. He lifted an eyebrow when he saw their state of undress, the rumpled bed, and their close proximity to one another, but that was his only comment. Beka wasn't as silent. 

"What's going on?" she cried. "Are you two okay? What's going on with Andromeda? What happened to you two? Why were the two of you locked in here?" She stopped to take a breath and finally noticed Dylan and Rommie. Her eyes widened in surprise and then a large smile brightened her face. "It's about time," was all she said. She then walked out of the room, her question answered by their appearance, her slightly smiling husband at her back. 

Dylan gaped at their retreating forms, shocked by their lack of censure towards his relationship with his ship. Rommie's giggle drew his attention back to her. "What are you laughing about?" he asked curiously. 

"You," she answered, laughing. "The look on your face. I thought you knew that the crew gossiped about us." At his quizzical look, she elaborated. "They've all talked about our 'relationship' for years now. They apparently have always known about our feelings for one another. I never believed them when they said you loved me. I could never see it, of course. I was a little too close to the situation to be objective, and I always made sure to hide my feelings for you, from you." She moved closer to him and lightly touched his cheek. "Now I don't have to." 

"No, you don't." He bent his head and started to kiss her. The kiss quickly became passionate and their plans to get up were immediately forgotten as they fell onto the bed. 

The two watching avatars looked at one another and smiled while rolling their eyes. They then disappeared, returning to their own duties and leaving the two new lovers in relative peace. 

The End 

* * *


End file.
